The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-05-20
High Farming in England.

County Gentleman.
Cnadbury Farm is situated in Evesham,
Worcestershire, England. 1t is the property
"f the Due d'Aumalr aud has been held at
an annual rental of "a shillings per acre by
Mr.. Charles Randell for the last forty-fiye
years. visited the place towards the end OF
May. 1t lies about two miles from the town,
in charming country. AS you look from
the terrace you see the Malvern Hills stretch
ing away to the west, while to the southeast
loom the COtswolds with their beautiful
slopes. In the other corner, near the farm,
stands the town OF Evesham, commemorative
of the death of Simon de Montfort, while
within stones throw runs Shakespeare
"Sweet Avon"
The farm consists of 571 acres, 3 roods,
and 30 perches, of-which 3S4 acres are arabic,
l15 acres pasture and orchard, and the re-
naming ~ acres homestead. The soil is on
the iassic formation, and consists for the
most part of stiff, tenacious clay. The
whole of the farm, arabic and pasture, has
been drained at depth ofthree to four feet,
about 80 feet apart. The fields are large and
well arranged, all hedges and trees having
been removed when possible.
Cultivation is done by steam and horses,
there being IA of the latter on the place,
"Shires, and some Ofthem are bred annually.
Steam is Chiefly used for blowing. There is
no especial rotation, the tenant having full
liberty to grow what he pleases, and sell as
he pleases, provided only that when he sells
hay or straw he returns an equivalent in
value TO the land Mr.. Randel's great prin-
ciple is never TO let his land remain idle, but
to keep it constantly in crops of some kind.
The fallow is cropped with vetchcs, oats,
rape, early and late cabbage and clovers.-
Large quantities of COW clover are grown,
drilled, as are all the clovers. His wheat
crop averages from 40 to 80 bushels per acre,
barley 4S to % bushels per acre, and in many
years much more. He grows annually q
large quantity of mangolds, the variety being
the golden Tankard, seed being grown on the
farm. They are planted on the flat, lbs. of
seed per acre, in rows IA inches apart, his
object being to get moderate crop of
medium sized roots, rich in sugar. The aver
age annual yield is As tons per acre.
The principal attraction is the Shropshire
flock, bred by him for many years, and con-
tanning remarkable fine lot of strong,
heavily wooded sheep. They were on the
farm at the time # my visit about 1000, in
Guiding lambs. The produce from $50 ewes
was 525 lambs. In addition to the Shrop-
shires, so Dorset ewes are bought annually
in April, put to the ram June list, and sold
y.
The average clip from the ewes was 7 lbs;
shearing ewes, 0 lbs. ram tegs, II lbs, all
washed. The ram legs would average about
90 lbs. per quarter, dead weight. No lambs
are castrated, the ram lambs being culed
several times and sold to the butcher The
sheep are folded the year around, except from
January TO April, when the breeding ewes
go into the yards While the lambs are suck
ing, the ewes receive ID. meal a day, to-
gether with little cut clover and pulped
mangolds besides the folded crops. From
weaving to tipping time, they look out for
themselves; and from tipping time on, get
ID. meal Fer day. The ram and eve lambs
receive the same. Water is always provid-
ed. The lambs are dipped every year, and
after weaving are kept as much as possible
on old seeds and on cabbages, of which a
large breadth is grown.
1u addition to the sheep, herd of so COWS
is kept. They are of the Short-Horn breed,
unpedigreed, but of a good, strong, useful
stamp. A pedigreed bull is brought when
necessary, so that the character of the stock
improves annually the cows are let by the
year to dairyman at $45 each-DIr Randell
finding grass, but nothing else, and having
the calves. The hefers are raised the bull
calves sold fat as bullocks, at the age of "a
months.
To work farm like this successfully, re-
quires an active capital of 500 per acre, ex-
elusive of the money invested in land and
buildings. For instance, the average sum
expended in purchased grain and fertilizers
is $7,000-the labor bill being about
50 900. AS an illustration of the high farm
ing pursued, the following account ofthe
cropping, SC, for four years, as taken from
the farm books, is instructive:
Size of field, 1G acres. First year-Barley,
50 bushels per acre; no manure used pre-
vious crop turnips, fed off with sheep, receiy-
ing cake. Second year-NIangolds, manfred
per acre with 40 loads farmyard dung, 6
cwt of artificial fertilizer, and 2 cwt.
nitrate of soda yield, AZ tons per acre, one
half being drawn off, remainder consumed
on land by sheep. Third year-Barley; no
manure yield 81 bushels per acre; straw 8
fl. 6 in. high After barley was taken off
the land was manfred at the rate of 25 loads
farm dung per acre, plowed in, and one ton
SCOT per acre spread broadcast Sixteen
cabbage plants per acre were set
out Oct. 1st the seeds having been planted
Aug 28th rows 22t inches apart, 10 inches
apart in the rows. After planting, A cwt.
per acre of Peruvian guano was scattered
along the rows by hand. In the spring, 4 |
cwt. of fish guano and 1! cwt. of nitrate of
sado were distributed along the rows. The
crops was sold standing, by auction, for $162 |
per acre.
To conclude, this farm is an admirable |
specimen of what industry and intelligence,
united to business capacity, can produce in |
agriculture as in all else.
JAMES LAWRENCE
Gr0t0n, Mass